Friday, 10 June 2011

Proposal for a MOD Independent Safety Organisation (ISO) to include the Defence Nuclear Regulator

Proposal for a MOD Independent Safety Organisation (ISO) to include the Defence
Nuclear Regulator.

As can be seen from the reply to a FOI (below) there in the past there was the
post of MOD Chief Safety Officer; former MOD Chief Safety Officer's headed up
the MODs' central safety organisation independent of the duty holders/TLBS. But
the role was abolished and no longer exists. The proposal to re-establish a
Independent Safety Organisation (ISO), seems as if the ISO is the old MOD
central safety organisation reborn !!

The present central organisation Safety, Sustainable Development and Continuity
(SSDC) Division represents the remaining rump of the former central safety
organisation largely denuded of staff with professional experience and
qualifications in safety as demonstrated by the abolition of the post of MOD
Chief Safety Officer whose post holders had qualifications such as PhDs in
physical chemistry and gas explosions with extensive experience in explosives
and ordnance safety.

Implicit in the proposal for a MOD Independent Safety Organisation (ISO) is that
the Defence Nuclear Regulator will be subsumed within it. It would be far better
for public confidence that the HSE etc should regulate MOD controlled nuclear
activities rather than to perpetuate the current system of internal regulation
with its inherent lack of transparency

From the DESB 2010 report

"39. Haddon-Cave Wider Aspects Work The DESB has agreed that some of the issues
raised in the Haddon-Cave report have implications for the wider MOD. These
issues have been translated into seven workstrands, which SSD&C are
coordinating.

40. Chief among these workstrands is an examination of the current regulatory
regimes in place in the department. The examination to date has identified that
many of the existing internal frameworks do not meet the recommendations of the
Haddon-Cave report (principally that regulators should be independent). These
findings have been agreed by the DESB. Subsequently SSD&C has been tasked with
scoping options for a possible Independent Safety Organisation (ISO). This work
is currently focused on establishing the remit of an ISO with a view, if agreed,
to producing a costed organizational option by May 2011. It is hoped that the
ISO, if created, as the single safety regulator in the MOD (bar aviation), will
have a positive impact on the assurance of Departmental safety standards. It
will also be closely involved in the production of future annual assurance
reports."

Response to an FOI request asking for details of the post of MOD Chief Safety
Officer

DBR-SSDC-Safety Enquiries (MULTIUSER)

Ministry of Defence

1 February 2011

Thank you for your request under the Freedom of Information Act dated 31
December 2010 enquiry asking for details of the post of MOD Chief Safety
Officer, and enquiring after the safety qualifications for the officers who have
held the post.

There is currently no post of MOD Chief Safety Officer. There have been four
members of the senior Civil Service who have had this role (either as Chief
Safety Officer or Chief Environment and Safety Officer) written into their post
description. The titles for the posts were Director of,successively: Directorate
Defence Health and Safety (DDefH&S), Directorate Safety, Environment and Fire
Policy (DSEFPol), and Directorate of Safety and Claims (DS&C). During the last
of these, the role of CESO(MOD) was discontinued. All business areas (eg Army,
Navy, Air Command etc) of MOD do have their own CESO.

As there is no such post, there is no professional safety qualifications
associated with it. Those who held the role as part of their posts had
qualifications such as PhDs in physical chemistry and gas explosions with
extensive experience in explosives and ordnance safety